Feature · 5 min read
Which Lake Shikotsu inn should you book for an airport night?
Lake Shikotsu sits about 40 minutes from New Chitose, and its water stays open through the coldest weeks of winter. Three inns on its shore turn the night before a flight into a proper soak.
By Adam BognarPublished
Book Marukoma Onsen Ryokan for a first or last night at Lake Shikotsu if the bath matters most, because its natural pool sits at lake level and rises and falls with the water. If you're landing late or flying early, Mizu no Uta is easier, since a free reserved shuttle runs from New Chitose to its door. Couples without children who want a private garden bath should take Suizantei. Whichever you choose, eat at the inn. The onsen village goes quiet early and has almost nothing to buy.
At 363 metres, Lake Shikotsu is the second deepest lake in Japan, and so much warm water sits in its caldera that the surface never freezes. On a still January morning steam lifts off blue water against the snow. We compared the three inns in our guide on their baths, rooms, transport and the drawback that comes with each.
| Stay | Suits | Getting there | Bath | Indicative rate | Drawback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marukoma Onsen Ryokan | Onsen lovers | About an hour from the airport; inn shuttle from the bus terminal on reservation | Natural lakeside pool, Finnish sauna | From about ¥40,000 a night (our fact sheet, 2026) | Furthest from the airport |
| Mizu no Uta | Late arrivals, early flights | Free reserved shuttle from New Chitose and JR Chitose | Shikotsu Biyu main bath; open-air tubs in top rooms | Not published | No tattoos in the main bath, even covered |
| Suizantei | Couples | One free pickup a day from JR Chitose | Garden rotenburo in five suites | Not published | Guests 13 and over only |
Why stay at Lake Shikotsu before a flight?
Lake Shikotsu puts a proper onsen about 40 minutes from New Chitose by car. Riders coming off Rusutsu can drive about an hour east, soak through the evening and still make a morning flight. From late January the Chitose–Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival builds towers of sprayed lake water in the village and lights them from 16:30. It runs from 30 January to 23 February 2027 between 10:00 and 20:00, and entry costs ¥1,000 on weekdays and ¥3,000 at weekends and on holidays.
Shop before you leave Chitose, because shopping in the village is limited. Take cash from a 7-Bank ATM at the airport or in town.
Why is Marukoma's natural pool special?
Marukoma has the bath people drive out for. The inn opened on the north shore in 1917, and its noyu (natural pool) sits at the end of a corridor from the main bath with only a line of rocks between you and the lake. Hot water seeps up through the gravel under your feet, and the inn's spring page says the depth matches the level of Lake Shikotsu and shifts through the seasons. The spring comes out at 54°C and runs clear.
The main baths add a Finnish sauna where you pour your own löyly, and the cold plunge flows with lake water. A private bath with a barrel sauna takes up to four people. The baths open from 15:00 to 23:00 and again from 04:00 to 09:00. Dinner is kaiseki with one course cooked over an irori (charcoal hearth). The inn sits off the grid. It makes its own electricity and draws its water from the lake.
The drawback is distance. Marukoma sits about 20 minutes past the Shikotsuko bus terminal, and if you go without a car you need the inn's shuttle, booked ahead. Day bathers come on Fridays to Sundays between 10:00 and 14:00 for ¥1,200, so book a weekday night if you want the noyu quiet. The inn publishes no tattoo rule, so ask before you go.
Who should book Mizu no Uta?
Mizu no Uta suits travellers on a tight schedule. The Tsuruga group's 49-room hotel stands in the onsen village and runs a free shuttle from New Chitose Airport and JR Chitose Station for guests who reserve a seat. Parking is free if you drive. Rooms with their own open-air onsen check in from 14:00 and out at 11:00. Standard rooms keep to 15:00 and 10:00.
The main bath, Shikotsu Biyu, runs on soft local spring water, with a Finnish sauna on both sides. It opens from 14:00 to 01:00 on weekdays and from 11:30 at weekends, then again from 05:00 to 09:30. Dinner is either the Amam buffet or kaiseki at Ten no Uta, and Chitose Sennen serves a lighter course.
Tattoos keep you out of the main bath even under cover stickers. Book a room with its own onsen if that applies to anyone in your group.
Is Suizantei worth it for couples?
Suizantei is worth it for couples who want a private bath and a quiet house. The inn accepts guests aged 13 and over only. Five garden suites of 80 to 105 square metres each come with a private rotenburo, and the room list runs down through a 75-square-metre room with a view bath to twins with small open-air tubs. The water is a sodium bicarbonate spring that locals call bijin-no-yu (the beauty bath) for the way it leaves your skin.
In the shared bath, a rock rotenburo sits beside an indoor tub of old hinoki cypress, and the cold plunge after the sauna draws on lake water. The kitchen makes its own tofu. Day bathing has been suspended since October 2020, so house guests have the bath to themselves.
Getting there takes planning. The free pickup runs once a day from JR Chitose Station, and you book it by phone by 19:00 the day before. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out at 11:00.
The map
The map marks every place this piece visits.
Contours come from AWS Terrain Tiles, and the coast and water from OpenStreetMap.
How do you get to Lake Shikotsu?
By car the onsen village is about 40 minutes from New Chitose Airport. The Hokkaido Chuo Bus leaves the domestic terminal from stop 28 and takes about 60 minutes to the Shikotsuko bus terminal, and the same company runs about 50 minutes from JR Chitose Station. The village car park by the lake charges ¥1,000. Rusutsu is about an hour west for a riding day, and Jozankei is roughly an hour north over the mountain road toward Sapporo Kokusai. For a soak without staying, Marukoma's day bath is listed on our page for Marukoma Onsen.
How we compared
We read each inn's own pages, its FAQ and its access notes in October 2026, along with the Ride Hokkaido town and stay files. Marukoma's rate comes from our fact sheet, and the other two inns post no fixed rate, so check your dates on their booking pages. The method is desk research, and nobody from Ride Hokkaido stayed at these inns for this page.
Quick answers
How far is Lake Shikotsu from New Chitose Airport?
Lake Shikotsu's onsen village is about 40 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport. The Hokkaido Chuo Bus from the domestic terminal takes about 60 minutes to the Shikotsuko bus terminal. Marukoma Onsen Ryokan sits on the north shore, about 20 minutes further by the inn's reserved shuttle.
Which Lake Shikotsu hotel has a free airport shuttle?
Lake Shikotsu Tsuruga Resort Spa Mizu no Uta runs a free shuttle for its guests from New Chitose Airport and JR Chitose Station, by reservation only. Shikotsuko Daiichi Hotel Suizantei runs one free pickup a day from JR Chitose Station, booked by phone by 19:00 the day before.
Can you ride near Lake Shikotsu?
Lake Shikotsu has no lift-served riding of its own and no board rental. Rusutsu is about an hour west by car, and Sapporo Kokusai is reached over the mountain road past Jozankei. Use the lake for a rest night and drive to the hill.
Does Suizantei at Lake Shikotsu accept children?
No. Shikotsuko Daiichi Hotel Suizantei accepts guests aged 13 and over only. Its five garden suites measure 80 to 105 square metres, and each one has a private open-air bath.
We write from operators’ and agencies’ own pages, open map data and published research, and we date every fact we check. How we research.